Star Path
by Infee
Summary: The story of a young apprentice, born in the life of a kittypet, finding his way back home to Skyclan. R&R please !
1. The Journey

A young white cat with ice blue eyes laid on a windowsill, where he usually was when the sun was setting. His mother had always told him when he was a kit, which was only six months ago, that if he lay under the moon and starlight, that perhaps one of his ancestors would come to him in his dreams. Now, she never explained any further than that, but he believed her and kept on believing. Even when he had forgotten her and the name she had given him.

He sighed, Kimba, that's what he had to go by, and did he have a choice? With that human youth always on the glow box watching Yewtoob or whatever it was called and watching the journeys of a white lion kit that looked just like him how could they not always call him Kimba? He hissed, he was so much different from that, he was so much… less than that. Kimba lowered his ears, he was just a cat, barely older than a kit, and he wasn't on any adventure, he… was just a kittypet. He closed his eyes, he missed his mother's scent. She smelt different from the ordinary, she smelled… wild. Free, adventurous, and like… a scent he thought he'd never be able to explain. Kimba was nothing like that, he smelt like the litter box.

He opened his eyes and looked outside, it was getting dark, and the night was clear. Maybe what his mother had said might come true tonight? He shook his head, no; his ancestors would never visit a kittypet like him. His tail drooped and he placed his head on his paws. Were his ancestors lazy house cats like him? Before he could think about it more his eyes slowly closed and his senses dulled, falling into a peaceful sleep.

_Where… where am I?_ He looked around, he was in a… a forest!? His fur rose, he couldn't be dreaming this! He had no idea what a forest even looking like! His fur suddenly flattened as a delicious scent drifted towards him, making him forget how impossible this was. Quietly he followed it, and soon saw a mouse scrabbling around and foraging. Kimba was about to make a disgusted face, but somehow he couldn't, and like instinct, he pounced it.

"Gotcha!" He looked between his paws to see his prize, but frowned seeing he had only caught a leaf. "This is more tricky then it looks…" _But why did I even want to catch such a disgusting thing…?_

"Yes, hunting can be quite difficult." Kimba froze as he heard the voice behind him. He didn't recognize it but… the scent!

"Mom!?" He spun around with a face of joy, but it was sullied as he saw it was a different she-cat. But… the she-cat smelled just like her! And even looked like her! Except, her pelt was full of stars… He took a step back from the other cat, his eyes full of suspicion, though, not untrusting. "Who are you and where am I…?" The she-cat chuckled.

"Before I answer your question, first, eat. You will be needing it," she laid a plump mouse before him. Kimba looked at it warily; he would never eat something that lived in the basement! But… it smelled too good not to! Within moments he devoured it to the last morsel. Delicious and filling. Stepping back he licked his paw and wiped his maw a few times, quite cautious of his appearance.

"T-thank you… Now can you tell me what, er, who you are…?" The she-cat chuckled again.

"I am Palestar, mother of your mother, Clearpool, whom hunts here with Starclan. And might I ask, do you know who you are…?" What kind of question was that? Of course he knew who he was!

"I'm…" But he couldn't get himself to say Kimba, "I'm S-starkit!" Palestar smiled gently and nodded.

"But now you have come of age, six moons. And it's time for changes, changes that you can never imagine. Starkit, from this day forward till you receive your warrior name you will be know as Starpaw. I, Palestar, will be your mentor." Starpaw didn't know what was going on, but by impulse they touched noses. She nodded in approval, "Starpaw, you must go on a journey, a journey back to your home, your true home, Skyclan." Starpaw gulped. "You will face many hardships, many enemies, and many friends. It will be a challenge almost like no other. Do you accept?" He hesitated, but then nodded. She smiled, her ocean blue eyes filling him with confidence and warmth. "I, just one of the many ancestor leaders of Skyclan, will guide you. Good luck, Starpaw."

And with that Starpaw awoke. He looked outside, it was moonhigh, and the glittering stars seemed to light a path for him. _North. _He got up and jumped down from the windowsill. He honestly wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew what he was supposed to do. Follow in his Skyclan ancestor's paw steps, and find his new, no, true home.


	2. Waking Howls

Starpaw yawned and opened his eyes, it was almost sunhigh. He has traveled all night and must have fallen asleep without even realizing it. Getting to his paws he stretched his back, looking at the sky while doing so. It was a beautiful day. Not a single cloud, a sign of good luck as the Japakneez, or whatever, would consider. He shrugged, how was he supposed to get this two-leg stuff? After all, he was a clan cat.

Deciding he's wasted enough of the day already he started to pad in the direction the stars had led him that night. Having plenty of time on his paws, he thought about Skyclan. It must be great, to belong to a clan. His mother though… Why had she never told him about it? How did she become a kittypet? Why had she not appeared with Palestar when she gave him guidance on what he had to do? Clearpool… Since he was a kit she had always filled him with curiosity, leaving him to himself to figure it out.

Starpaw's stream of thought was interrupted as his stomach growled. Palestar's mouse was only enough for him to get to the forest he was in now. _Kittypet food. _He sighed, after that mouse he wondered how he managed with eating mousedung. _But hunting… _How was he supposed to do that? He clearly failed at catching his own meal. _First I need to know if there's even any prey around at all… _Opening his mouth slightly he drank in the air. _Squirrel! _He cranked his head back slightly to where the scent was coming from. _Oh duh, right in front of me… _Starpaw bit his lip, how would he get up there though? It was impossible. He couldn't climb up a tree nimbly and swiftly even if his life depended on it.

Suddenly without warning the wind picked up for a moment, making the leaves rustle and the grass whistle. As the breeze brushed past his ears he could have sworn he heard a whisper, "jump". Jump!? Up there!? He shifted his paws uncomfortably; the squirrel was getting away… He had always been a good jumper and it wasn't that he didn't trust his mentor but… there was no way he could jump that high. He didn't want to even embarrass himself trying. He sighed as his stomach nagged him once more. _I guess I have to make one attempt at least… _

Holding his breath he sprung up into the air with all his might, only to gasp as it felt like he just sprouted wings. Unsheathing his claws he quickly hooked onto the tree and gave chase after the fleeing squirrel. Mwuahahah, he wasn't going to lose it so easily this time! Leaping after it he could almost taste the savory fresh meat in his mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut to make sure this was real, before opening them again. Wait, what!? The squirrel was gone!? Before he could figure out what happened he ended up crashing into a branch and falling face-flat onto the ground. Quickly he got up and shook himself off, spitting out a mouthful of leaves and grass. What had happened!? He spun around and his eyes flared seeing as another cat had stolen his kill from him!

"Hey, that was my squirrel!" Starpaw was careful with his tone and actions though; the tom was bulky and under is brown mottled fur his muscles rippled. How could he compete with that? The tom turned and spat.

"Says who?" The tom's golden eyes pierced through Starpaw, but for some reason he knew that he didn't have to fear the other.

"It was so obviously my kill, I was leaping out for it!" He kneaded at the ground a bit with his claws, hoping that the other would at least acknowledge what he did was unfair.

The tom grunted, "you so _obviously_ aren't from around here. Who are you?" Starpaw drew back a bit, but tried to show as much fierceness.

"I'm, Starpaw, on a journey back to Skyclan. Who are you?" He tried to puff out his chest with pride. The tom's eyes widened slightly, which confused Starpaw. Hopefully it was an eye-opener of respect or realization, and not "hey, I was born and raised to kill this cat". Oh yes, Starpaw could just imagine this cat picking his bones from his teeth.

"I am Sparrow of the Infinite Forests, and actually, I'm not from here either. I come from a place far from here… When I did arrive though, I was just as surprised as you at how rude the other cats were. Guess some of it rubbed off onto me…" He tossed the squirrel to Starpaw, and motioned for him to eat.

"Thanks… and can I just call you Sparrow?" He quickly tore into the squirrel, hoping he'd catch his own meal soon.

"Of course, the second part is just to identify what unit I am of. You probably wouldn't understand though." Starpaw was slightly insulted by that, even if it was true, but his eyes flashed with a bit of curiosity. Sparrow chuckled, "I come from a tribe of cats, the Tribe of Waking Howls. And we're called that for a reason, as wolves long ago once lived in our lands, but we drove them off of course. Anyways, in my tribe there exists different units. Cats of the Infinite Forests, like myself, are hunters. Cats of the Crushing Boulders are defenders and fighters, you get it. Cats of the… uh, you'll learn more when you get there." Starpaw's jaw was slightly dropped as he listened with interest, but snapped out of it when he heard he'd have to go there.

"Wait, what do you mean!?" He quickly finished off the squirrel and got up, his fur slightly raised as he held a hiss. Sparrow bit his lip, then sighed.

"The wolves have returned. And we have no idea how our ancestors rid of them so it has become quite the problem. We all had it coming as our tribe is known for its paints and our ancestors have already painted it out on the stone walls that surround us, but we never thought it would come like t his. Anyways, our Cats of Sky Gazing, whom are healers and interpret the paintings, have seen a hope to save us, among one of the pictures is a starry night sky above our tribe lands, and where the moon should be is instead a cat paw print. They've sent me to find that cat, and I believe now.. that it's.. you, Starpaw." Starpaw couldn't believe his ears. Him? Save a tribe? Oh nononono, he was not going to risk his life for something he hardly knew about, and he was not going to stray away from his destination. "Please. " Sparrow's eyes spoke with such sincerity that it tugged at Starpaw's heart. This tribe, or at least tribe cat, hardly knew him and didn't even know if he really was the one, yet he was pretty much begging for them to at least check if he was. They were desperate for at least a hope of being saved. Starpaw sighed, and thought about it for a moment that seemed like a very long time. He could die. He may lose sight of the star path. He might be lying. He shook his head at the last part, no, he knew they, or at least Sparrow, wasn't lying. He could get injured. He could die. He could accidentally get the whole tribe killed instead of saving them. Did I mention he could die…? He sighed again.

"Sparrow, I've thought about it, and have made up my mind. And really, I have no other choice than to… accept your request. I'll try to help your tribe in any way I can." He spoke formally, knowing he now made a commitment to a tribe he hardly even knew about. Sparrow's face lit up.

"Th-thank you…" His voice trembled, and Starpaw had no idea if it was out of joy or just disbelief. Oh well, at least he knew his mentor would be proud.


	3. Sparrow and the Dream Catcher

The journey through the forest was much shorter than Starpaw expected, and the only troubles they came across were just crossing streams. He had finally caught his first prey too, and funny enough it was actually a sparrow! Except, when he caught it the bird was injured and Starpaw, surprising himself even, let it go because he just couldn't bear to kill it for some reason. He made up for it in squirrels, mice, and other prey though at least. And also, though the little journey was very short, Starpaw really could call Sparrow his friend. He was a lot different from when he first ran into him with the squirrel incident too.

"Hey, Starpaw, what do you call a shaved dog?"

"Dunno, what?""A really ugly two-leg!" They both gave a mrrow of amusement, even though the joke was very bad. By now they learned to laugh anyways. The whole time they traveled together they talked and joked, so they grew close enough to laugh even at stupid ones. Starpaw also learned that Sparrow was a lot more immature then he acted, always flinging mud at his face when he got the chance to. So really, the time they spent getting to their destination would have been a lot shorter if it wasn't for all their fun and games. It almost felt like they were brothers. _I guess this is how it feels to have a friend outside the kittypet world… _Most of the cats he met kind of annoyed him, and he had to force himself to put up a nice act for them.

When they were three quarters through the forest Starpaw noticed something for the first time; Sparrow had a ring-a-ma-bobber dangling from his neck with two sparrow feathers tied to the ring…

"Hey, where'd you get that…?" He motioned to the necklace/collar/whatever it was.

"Oh, this? It's a dream catcher. My father gave it to me as a good luck charm when I was born, telling me it'd keep away bad dreams and nightmares…" Sparrow looked fondly at it, and for a second he almost seemed lost in memories… "He told me the string around my neck was made by horse tail hairs…"

"The herb?" Starpaw blinked, it wasn't green, it was brown!

"No, the animal of course! He also told me that the ring was made of reeds, and that the strings inside of it were made of caught-ten, or something. Obviously the feathers are from sparrows." Sparrow's lip curled, and Starpaw thought for a moment that it quivered.

"Sooo… how'd he get it?" All that handiwork in making it couldn't have been done by a cat!

"Stole it of course." They burst into laughing, before Sparrow continued, "no, actually he found it, on the tallest boulder in our lands, and he knew it must be a gift from our ancestors, and that when his kits were born one should be named Sparrow." Sparrow bit his lip, "when he brought it to camp a past kittypet told him about it, so my father decided to give it to his to-be first born son, who happened to be me..."

From there they were relatively quiet, except at some point they were just being quiet because the other was quiet. Nonetheless, Starpaw knew Sparrow was a lot more mature and sentimental than he acted, and they both continued focusing on getting out of the forest in one piece.

They were very eager to leave too actually. Sometimes through the forest the lighting would increase, and they would both pick up the pace, only to be embarrassed when it darkened again. Each time they smiled sheepishly at one another, and pretend they hadn't been fooled. Though finally, at one point, the lighting continued to grow stronger.

"Hey, we must be nearing the end!" Strawpaw exclaimed, Sparrow nodding in agreement.

"This is definitely the end, I've never been familiar with anything here, but I sure know this!" Sparrow gave a little jig of joy, making them laugh, but Starpaw couldn't help but notice a hint of melancholy in it.

As the trees thinned out Starpaw's fur pricked, the scents of a few other cats lingered about. So Sparrow had been right about there being other cats somewhere in the forest, that, or the tribe was much closer than Sparrow gave him the impression of. Well, either way he could see past the forest now, but sadly all he saw was an abandoned farm, which was a no wonder to why there were cat scents around, and… a few apple trees! Starpaw picked up his pace up even more, wanting to show off his jumping skills even more by grabbing an apple in midflight, and honestly, just plain wanting to try an apple.

He noticed Sparrow had tensed up a bit, and suddenly Starpaw felt a tad confused… and though he did not realize it quickly, he felt the lurking suspicion of betrayal. Could Sparrow have… lied? He was so sincere and honest though before when talking about his tribe! Starpaw saw it in his eyes… So why was Sparrow's tail all in a bunch all of a sudden? Sparrow stopped once they reached the farm, and Starpaw knew his suspicions must be confirmed by this, that or Sparrow had not prepared him for a bunch of not-so-friendly rouges.

"Starpaw of Skyclan…" Sparrow turned, and Starpaw's fur bristled more than it ever could, like death was eminent. "I'm sure you realize already, but I lied to you. I do come from a tribe, but it's already dead and I hardly remember any of it. But how my tribe died was not by the fangs of wolves, but by the teeth and nail of rats, a swarm of rats that flooded the entire camp. And the rats' arrival… was all Skyclans fault. They pretty much chased the rats into our lands. I, and the few others that survived, have lived in this farm for most of our lives, swearing that we'd take our revenge out on any Skyclan cat, or rat, that crossed our paths… and even now, I plan on keeping to that oath. Starpaw, though I can call you a true friend, someone I can trust, you are of Skyclan blood, and I will keep to my vow as promised!"

Sparrow pounced and suddenly there was a flurry of fur. While Sparrow had distracted him with that speech three other cats must have snuck out from the barn! All Starpaw could see was red, all he could feel was the warmth of a liquid staining his fur, and all he could hear were hisses, snarls, and splashing and slashing. He had no idea what he was doing, and he could only flail his claws around helplessly at the other cats. He had not been trained to fight! He was just a kitt- No, he was a Skyclan cat! But any tree he could leap to was too far away…

Suddenly he got a hold of something with his teeth, and he didn't let go. He slowly opened his frightened gold eyes to see why everything had stopped like time was frozen, and they widened in shock. In his mouth hung a limp Sparrow, though he was still alive miraculously. He was injured, and he did not dare make a move for fear it could be his last. This was the first time Starpaw smelt fear scent, and it scared him, just like when he caught that sparrow that didn't even have a chance at escaping. He seemed to just stay like that for an eternity, before he loosened his jaw and let the chunk of flesh fall from his fangs and hit the ground like dead weight. The other cats could not move, and Starpaw nudged the brown and slightly mangled body, his heart skipping a few beats.

Nothing happened, and Starpaw felt his spirit fall and hit the ground with a thump like Sparrow had. Sparrow had betrayed his trust, manipulated him, and deceived him… but he was still his friend, his first friend. And sadly, now, his first fallen friend.

Suddenly Sparrow stirred, and Starpaw lit up, relieved to see his flank slowly rise and fall. The other cats quickly rushed over to him and Sparrow, and Starpaw could have sworn he smelt something that brought him back to the days of his kithood with his mother. But the faint memory vanished as soon as in came. Though Starpaw was left with a feeling that Sparrow was going to be reviving the Tribe of Waking Howls soon.

The three cats had seemed to have forgotten about Starpaw, and were all tending to their friend. Their bond was greater then their lust for revenge apparently, and really… Starpaw could not see the evil that resided in them, even if they wanted his guts shredded by their claws. He bit his lip, before backing away. Sparrow was his friend, but he no longer belonged here. He was ambushed, saved by Starclan, and he had spared Sparrow's life. He had finished crossing his first step back home.

Nodding his head once he turned away and started to pad where his heart led him, flicking his tail as he heard a "thank you" from behind him. He had strayed far from his personal mission, but… it was worth it. Before he was even a fox-length away from the group though he heard a cat call wait. A fat orange tabby she-cat dashed over to him, carrying Sparrow's dreamcatcher in her jaws.

"He wanted to give this to you…" Starpaw knew Sparrow wouldn't just let anyone touch his most precious possession, so the she-cat must have been large for a reason… He looked at the feathers, than nodded, it was important to Sparrow, but he would not give it to him without meaning it.

"Thank you, tell him I'll keep it more close and safe than any cat could imagine." The she-cat smiled, than tied the dream catcher around his neck.

"Starpaw… you be safe as well." Starpaw felt tears well up, before nodding as Sparrow seem to speak through the she-cat. "You're a good cat, I'm sure you'll make it back to Skyclan." Getting up she began to pad back to her mate. Quickly she called over her shoulder to him, "by the way, I'm Glory! Remember it cause Star is gonna be the name of one of my kits!" Starpaw grinned, than nodded.

"I wouldn't forget any of this for the world!" No, he wouldn't. An entire tribe, reduced to four cats, only clinging to revenge as a reason for living, and he of all possible cats, was the one to give them the spirit to build back up. And all he did was spare Sparrow, to show them that they were still alive.


	4. Lily's Voice

It was pouring, joy to summer showers. Starpaw shivered as he padded through the muddy grasslands, making sure to keep the dream catcher safe from any harms way. He needed to find shelter soon, but all he saw was grass, mud, and fields, endless fields. And one last thing: water, lots of it. He sneezed, and pinned his ears back. Where was at least a tree when you need one? He heard thunder boom and lightning crack in the distance, then quickly shook even the idea away.

He sighed. How dreary and miserable this adventure was. When would he cross something exciting, like a beach? But no, he was stuck in the rain, trying to fend off a cold. He sighed again, and shook the excess water from his brow. Peering around with his blue eyes he tried to see any signs of cover, but none as far as he could see. _Gah! Palestar! Can you at least tell me when the rain will stop? _The wind picked up a moment, actually hurling some mud into his face, and he growled.

"Hah, very funny…" He shook the mud from his face and looked at the gray sky, trying to not get water in his eyes as rain droplets splash and splattered on his face. Would he be able to see the star path tonight? The sky was so obscured he was afraid his luck might be out.

Suddenly grunting as he bumped into something he quickly tried to regain his balance and composure.

"Hey watch where you're- oh." He realized what he had bumped into was log. But how could he have not noticed it before? And why was there a log here, of all places? He sighed and felt the log; it wasn't the best, but it would have to do. No matter what must live inside of it. His skin crawled at the thought of termites.

"Hey, careful with our shelter! It's the only shelter we got for a long ways!" Starpaw jumped as he heard a squeaky voice from nowhere. Blinking, he looked behind the log, seeing a small silver tabby with a squirrel on her head pushing the log. He blinked, was this she-cat conscious of the perfectly good prey on her head…? He opened his mouth to speak but the squirrel spoke first. "What's your business, bothering us like this!?" He almost stumbled back in surprise.

"Y-you can talk!?" The she-cat rolled her eyes, and twitched her whiskers at the squirrel, the water that collected on them flying off.

"Why yes, I can. I can speak cat and I speak for both of us; me and Lily. Also, Lily says stop staring at me, the squirrel, like I'm a squirrel!" Starpaw drew back a bit, quite confused.

"See, Lily is a mute so she speaks to me through twitching whiskers, and I, speak what she is saying. Though, I'm hoping she'll find another cat that can speak squirrel, because I'm going to pass on eventually…" She put her tiny paws on her hips and shook her head sadly. Starpaw blinked, how inconvenient that is

"So, uh, squirrel, what's your name and why are you guys pushing around your, uh, temporary home?" He looked at the log, instead of getting soaked while pushing it around for no reason they could stay in there till the storm died. A chill went down his spine, how he longed to be in there and out of this freezing rain…

"My name is Willow, since I'm the same color as the tree. And anyways, we aren't. Mud formed around it and we tried to push It out, but you kind of crashed into it as it rolled away." Starpaw smiled sheepishly, how embarrassing… "So what's your name, stranger?"

"I'm Starpaw," he gave a stout nod. "And, uh, if you're done getting it out of the mud, do you have room in it for another cat…?"

Willow nodded, "yeah, that doesn't mean you can though." She received a glare from Lily than sighed, "Yeah, sure whatever…" Lily nodded and smiled sweetly before getting inside the log, with Willow scurrying in behind her followed by Starpaw. He sighed with relief at how much better it was inside. Much warmer than he expected and it wasn't even rotting yet.

"Sooo…" Yeah, he was pretty bad at starting conversations with she-cats, he always had been. Lily made a sigh face, and Willow made the sigh for her.

"Wow, you're pretty hopeless. So, where'd you come from and where you going?" She inquired as she sat down.

"I come from a two-leg nest; it's pretty far from here. And my destination is Skyclan camp, my true home." He said with an air of confidence, though, he probably wouldn't have left the life of a kittypet if it hadn't been for Palestar. Lily and Willow nodded with interest. "So what about you both? Pretty lucky to come across one another, eh?"

"I was raised near a two-leg nest that had plenty of cats, so I just happened to pick up the language and once I could left, much more intelligent than any "prey" ever could be. Lily came from a little family that also happened to live in the forest, and when we crossed paths I taught her how to speak through twitching whiskers and, well, so on. Where we're going… that's much harder to answer, we're just looking for a place that will accept us and generally understand what Lily says." Starpaw couldn't help but think about Sparrow and his newly waking tribe… pun not intended.

"I see…" He bit hip hip, not sure what else to talk about. This was gonna be a long waiting… "So, Lily, you got any siblings?" Starpaw thought about his own siblings… did he even have any?

"She says they're all gone, dead." Starpaw lowered his ears, that was pretty morbid to hear… From there they were rather quiet, till they asked about the dream catcher. And so, Starpaw explained the whole story starting with trying to, well, catch a squirrel. He was surprised that Willow was perfectly comfortable with hearing that.

"Wow… well, funny, since it fits you as well, because the strings in the ring make the shape of a star," Willow pointed out, Lily nodding. Starpaw blinked at looked at it.

"Huh, never noticed that…" He wondered just how ignorant he was. They were silent for a while, before Starpaw yawned. With him all bundled up like this and the relaxing sound of splattering rain he just realized how sleepy and tired he was. With half-opened eyes he looked at Lily and Willow, they were already asleep. _Well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em… _Yawning a second time he closed his eyes and soon drifted off into a deep slumber.

_Mom…_ Starpaw was a kit again, nice and warm against a soft white wall of fluffy fur. He was back inside his old two-leg nest, lying on a circular rug near the clear door that separated them from the outside world. It was raining, and his mother was ushering him to sleep. Those were the days… Safety, comfort, love… Anything a kit could ask for. _No, I'm an apprentice now… _He woke himself from the dream, but remained asleep, though not much later was he awakened by a yowl.

Starpaw shot open his eyes, Lily nor Willow was there. The rain had stopped. Quickly he crawled out of the log and looked around for her. His eyes widened in shock to see Lily trying to fight a cat almost twice her size. Willow was not there. His fur bristled and he readied to attack but before he could a familiar mottled brown blur zoomed past him and flew at the rouge with a flurry of claws. Starpaw's jaw dropped. What was Sparrow doing here!? Pushing his questions all to the side he ran over as well to assist in driving the rouge off, which was much harder than expected.

He felt claws rake past the side of his forehead, and blood blinded his left eye. The bulky tom was putting up more than just a good fight. He saw an unsheathed paw come flying at his face again, but this time he bit it hard till he drew blood, though soon his cheek was swatted by the other paw. Sparrow quickly ripped the rouge away by the scruff of his neck and Starpaw continued clawing at him, before finally the rouge fled.

He grinned at Sparrow, but it disappeared as he saw Lily sullenly make her way to a small bloody pile of brown fur. _Willow…! _No, Willow couldn't be dead! How would Lily be able to get along? His legs were stiff and frozen, but slowly he made his way over to her. He didn't want to even look at the remains. Willow was a squirrel, but… she was a cat at heart.

Lily turned to him, and she... she tried to speak! It was mostly just scratchy meows, but it was sound at least. Losing Willow must have scared her voice to life…

She was just as surprised as him to hear her voice, but it did not push away her sorrows. Sparrow looked at her questioningly, and Starpaw quickly explained.

"Till now that squirrel _was_ her voice so really… though Lily has her own voice now, she's alone…" He wasn't sure how to explain it actually. In this world Lily only had Willow, and with Willow gone… She didn't have much else to go to or belong to. Sparrow didn't exactly understand, but he did know her feelings.

"Well, if Lily does ever need a place to go, she's welcome to my tribe... We could teach her how to speak and everything!" Starpaw nodded and looked towards the frail she-cat once again. Though her back was still turned from them, to his own amazement he could see just hearing those words made Lily's soul light up a bit. With this offer Lily didn't _have_ to be alone…

The silver tabby bit her lip and got up, finally padding away once her friend was buried into the soft ground. Starpaw could see her shake, and try to maintain her strength and dignity. She nodded towards Sparrow, accepting his offer, and then she turned to Starpaw. Her gentle eyes did all the speaking: though she had not known Starpaw for a long time, she respected him. Through this small adventure Lily lost a friend, but in turn, she gained two, and a voice of her own.

Starpaw shook a bit, never having felt another cat truly respect him, it felt… strange, and filled him with pride, just like when he had knocked sense into Sparrow and his feline friends. Before he could respond Lily ushered him to close his eyes. He felt his ears grow warm. Was she going to kiss him farewell or something!? He'd probably faint. But to his surprise, he felt her swiftly lick his left eye many times. Once she was finished he opened his blue eyes again with confusion. Sparrow seemed confused too, before motioning for Starpaw to see a puddle.

Making his way over to a rippling mirror he looked at his reflection. Over his eye was now a six-petal flower. It was a pale pink and… oh duh! A lily! She must have licked the blood over his eye into the form of it. He wasn't sure what else to do now, but he turned back to them and placed his head on her shoulder. In return for her respect, Lily wanted him to remember her always, just like how he would forever remember Sparrow by the dream catcher.

**Gah, rushed through and choppy. D: Next chapter will be better, I swear!**


	5. The Sunset

The wind carried the soft and almost sweet smell of salt. Sea breeze… Well, of course Starpaw had never gone to the ocean before, so he did not know this; but, being quite the curious one he followed the direction it came from.

_Such strange scents and such strange sounds…_ The water was not far, and along with the pleasant wind was carried the music of rolling waves and squawking seagulls. The beach was truly an amazing place, and apparently it seemed to kiss anybody at its tangent.

As the grass turned wilder and the sun seemed to grow more brilliant, slowly the terrain shifted. Soon under his paws he felt the gritty sensation of sand; working its way between his toes and weaving itself in his fur; in his blue eyes was reflected an amazing cerulean sea. This was just pure happiness. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, he dashed towards the water, only getting as close as he dared. This place… it felt so real yet intangible at the same time! Taking another deep breath he could only 

thank Starclan for leading him to such a wonderful place. The wind, the water, the sand… it all seemed to remind him of his mother somehow, how comforting she was. His snow white fur rested flat, not bristled or pricked for once. This place felt so much like home, but he knew it was only a resting place and he had to leave by the next day.

_Though even so, I could stay here foreveerrrr... _Before he could finish his though he fell over to one side, finally realizing how exhausted he was. _Yeah, I should probably sleep… _Taking another gulp of the scenery one last time before he closed his eyes, Starpaw murmured something before finally falling asleep.

_Muuurrrr…? Hm, where am I…? Oh wait, yeah, the beach place thing… _Feeling replenished after the long nap Starpaw awakened again, slowly opening his eyes. What he saw in front of him though seemed completely transformed. _My goodness…_

It was sunset. The glowing fiery disk was just touching the surface of the waters; below it was sent a long rippling reflection and above it was sent a dazzling display of colors Starpaw could only dream of. It took his breath away.

Sitting up he was right in front of it. His fur gleamed in the reds, pinks, purples and golds, whilst his silhouette was pure darkness and his shadow casted far behind him. His heart skipped a beat and it seemed like in only a few moments the spectacle was gone. He could only sit there, amazed. Soon a full silver moon rose and the sky became black and full of diamonds. When he finally got over the scene he looked at the sky, and sure enough was that familiar thin band of stars, Starpath, that seemed to stretch on forever. It was parallel to the beach coast, which relieved Starpaw that he was going the right way.

Getting up he was suddenly hit by a gust of wind that almost knocked him off his paws and sent sand sailing. _It must be Palestar! But the only reason she would do something like that was for a foreshadowing of some sort…_ He blinked and concentrated for a moment, thinking about the direction it had come from, before gasping. Could, could it be…!? Boiling up in excitement and wonder he waited not a moment longer and dashed. _Skyclan, here I come!_


	6. The Sun, Moon, and Stars

He did not rest and sometimes he ran till his paws felt raw. Starpaw was going to find Skyclan for sure! It had to be! He was in a forest now, and brambles tugged at his fur while thorns pricked his paws, but Starpaw did not stop. He wanted to make a good entrance, but even if he looked like a mess getting there was first priority.

His eyes widened as the scents around him suddenly shifted. He must have crossed the border! He recognized this scent anywhere, it was the same strange scent that his mother had that he could never quite put his paw on! He ran faster and closed his eyes making sure this was real, but before he could open them he crashed into something and hurdled backwards. _Ugh, why does something like this always happen every time I close my eyes…?_ Getting up and shaking himself off he looked at what he had rammed into. _Oh great… _Worse than a tree, this time it was a she-cat, and to top that off she was a pretty one; a well-kept ginger coat and not a single scar. She recovered quickly and hissed at him.

"I knew I smelt a trespasser! You must be a pretty mouse-brained one to run right into a Skyclan warrior… Leave!" She was demanding and pretty tough, but Starpaw knew she wasn't all that, she was just an apprentice like him! He fluffed up his own fur and tried to look as big as possible, which wasn't working due to how matted down and dirty it was.

"Can I at-"

"Leave!" She hissed again. Starpaw sighed, so he was going to have to do this the hard way (coughcough)…

"IwasakittypetwithSkyclanheritageandwhenIlearnedthisfromadreamthatwasvisitedbyanancestorIdecidedtocomefindSkyclan,mymotherisClearpoolandmymentorisPalestarandI'mStarpaw!" He took several breathes once he finished. She seemed kind of uninterested as she was half grooming herself and half listening. After a few moments she looked at him with her piercing jade eyes, which seemed to see right through him as they searched for any signs of a lie, she looked like she was looking at his spirit rather than him. Kind of… creepy, almost gave him the chills. After about what seemed to be an eternity the she-cat simply blinked at him, even more un-trusting though a little more relaxed than before.

"I'm Sunpaw, now follow me if you wanna prove what you say is true, that or get your fur clawed off." Flicking her tail she got up and turned around, padding forward with spring-like steps. _Er, wow… _Trying to build up his confidence he followed, hoping he didn't give her a bad impression.

As they padded together he wondered what clan life truly was like, and wondered what camp was like. Oh, Palestar was so much like his mother! Never telling him anything, and they both knew he didn't like surprises! His thoughts were interrupted as Sunpaw announced their arrival. His eyes widened, beyond amazed.

The clan was everything he could ever imagine and more. From a cliff top edge he had the most wonderful view of a gorge. On the other side there were cave pockets in the side of the rocks, with a path the led all the way to the very top. Near where the cliffs sloped down to ground level was a river flowing through, which had a stable fallen tree probably for crossing. Scattered about near a rock pile in the center were numerous cats, sharing-tongues, talking, and basically unaware of how beautiful their clan truly was. It was utterly perfect, just like the sunset, except… this camp gave him the vibes of a sunrise.

It took a moment to realize Sunpaw was already padding away. Snapping out of it he quickly followed her down the slope to her, no, their clan camp. On the way down he tried to groom his fur to the best of his ability. What pulled his attention away from his pelt though was a cat strikingly similar to Sunpaw sitting outside of a den at the bottom of the gorge on the far end talking with a gray tom. The ginger tom had lighter and spottier fur though, with cerulean blue eyes just like the ocean he saw.

"Who's that?" He asked, unable to contain his curiosity. Brother possibly? Though, he seemed a bit too big to be her brother.

"My father, mouse-brain, Beachstar, because he was actually born at the beach, though he is of Skyclan blood. The tom he is talking to his my mentor and the deputy, Moonshadow." He couldn't help but notice that she cringed for a second. Moonshadow? Sunpaw? …Must be the irony of it all. He quickly picked up the pace and held his breath as he entered the camp, having no idea what to expect…


End file.
